Nets' Kenneth Faried charged with possession of more than two ounces of marijuana

Newly acquired Brooklyn Nets forward Kenneth Faried was arrested on Sunday in Bridgehampton, New York, and charged with possession of more than two ounces of marijuana, according to multiple reports.

Faried was the rear passenger in a car that was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint around 1:30 a.m., and a “strong odor of marijuana was emanating from the inside of the vehicle,” the police report said. In addition to the marijuana, police seized cash. The 28-year-old was charged with fourth degree unlawful possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum one-year prison sentence.

Police issued tickets to two other passengers in the vehicle. Faried was released on $500 bail.

Faried was in Southampton for a United Negro College Fund benefit sponsored by Hello Beautiful.

“This weekend was fun & educational!” Faried posted to Instagram on Monday.

A rising star on USA Basketball’s gold medal-winning team at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Faried has one year and $13.8 million left on the extension he signed four years ago. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game for the Nuggets last season, his lowest output since being selected 22nd overall in the 2011 NBA draft. He was traded to the Nets along with Darrell Arthur, a top-12 protected 2019 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick for the since-released Isaiah Whitehead.

Recreational marijuana is still illegal in New York, although a study requested by Gov. Andrew Cuomo resulted in a recommendation by the state’s Health Department for the legalization of recreational marijuana, according to The New York Times. The state already legalized medical marijuana in 2016.

While recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, where Faried played his first seven NBA seasons, it remains on the NBA’s list of banned substances. First offenders of the league’s marijuana policy are entered into a treatment program. Second offenders are fined $25,000, and each additional offense results in a five-game suspension. Faried has not previously been suspended for violating the policy.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern has called for the league to remove marijuana from its banned substance list, and his successor, Adam Silver, said last summer the league is “open” to the idea of working with the players on a policy that could allow for the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach

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